Youth more prone to committing suicide: Report

March 03, 2010 14:29 IST

Be it the pang of a broken heart or failure in exams, today's youth find it more difficult to cope with their problems compared to the older generation. Unable to find solutions to their problems, people below the age of 30 years commit more suicides than their elder counterparts, shows the latest data released by the National Crimes Records Bureau (NCRB).

According to the 'Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2008' report, at least 129 people in this age group kill themselves every day while the number is 119 per day among those who fall in the age group of 30-44 years.

But it appears that people become more stronger as they age, with only 94 suicides per day are recorded among the people who are over 45 years.

In 2008, the country witnessed a total of 1,25,017 suicides, of which 47,033, or 37.6 per cent, were below the age of 30 years while 43,562 (34.8 per cent) were among the age group of 30-44 years.

While the number among people in the age group of 45-59 years is 25,192 (20.2 per cent), a total of 9,230, or a mere 7.4 per cent, people above 60 years have killed themselves in that year, the report said.

The data also showed that younger men committed more suicides (25,561 or 20.4 per cent) than women. About 17.2 per cent or 21,472 women below 30 years have committed suicide in that year. Of them 10,850 were housewives.

When classified according to their profession, nearly 15,000 youths who killed themselves in 2008 were self-employed while about 4,900 were in services -- 456 in government sector and 3,581 in private sector.

Family problems drove 10,357 people to commit suicide in that year. Illness came second claiming 7,608 lives followed by failed love affair which has forced nearly 3,000 youths below 30 years to commit the crime.

Dowry dispute was the next biggest reason that killed 2,227 youths (2,194 females and 33 males) in 2008, said the report. Failure in examinations also forced nearly 2,100 to took the extreme step that year.

So far as the means adopted for committing suicide are concerned, consumption of poison, hanging and self-immolation were the most preferred ways. While more than 16,000 youths chose to end their lives by consuming poison, over 15,000 hanged themselves and nearly 5,000 immolated themselves, according to the report.